The holiday weekend is behind us and I've been buried neck-deep in projects (of my own creation) all morning, but I did want to take a moment to chat with y'all.

There's a guy outside with a shovel. He's shoveling. I stopped him and told him that he shouldn't go to other people's buildings to shovel. If he wants to shovel, he can shovel at home. (I really do think it's kind of late in the season to be putting in new planters, but whatever.)

Rearranging furniture

Friday, I was released from vile servitude (it isn't, of course) at an unreasonably early hour (based on the expectations of those who pay me) and took the opportunity to swing by Target on the way home. I'm abandoning my Ratty Old Cardboard Boxes system of storing books in favor of tidy plastic bins. (Ecologically irresponsible, I know, but there are still times when I buy plastic without stopping to think first.) I bought one each in two sizes so I could test which one will make me the happiest, along with a little chest I wanted for my closet.

What with all the clearing out in the last five years, reorganizing the books I have in storage isn't quite the massive project it once would have been, but I am nevertheless determined to make the whole thing as much work as possible. I'm pondering--do I store--by size, age, or genre? What about authors who wrote in multiple genres--do I store them together or separately? How do I label?

Once home, the in-apartment part of the project went--surprisingly faster than I expected. The R.C. did not escape her place of employment early in the day, so I wasn't slowed down by someone constantly demanding that I not lift/push/carry/shift/shove various items. In two hours, I finished the entire closet, except for getting that now-unloved industrial-strength shelving carried downstairs and tagged "free to a good home."

After my next paycheck (the last one went for rent and part of what I owe for the new mattress) I'm going to treat myself to one of the two bookcases I still need in the bedroom. BTW, after more thought, I realized that the excitingly constructed "lifting shelves" option would only be a cleanliness improvement if I actually unloaded all the bottom shelves and cleaned under them each week, a thing that is highly unlikely to happen, so I'm going with shelves that match the pricey one I already bought. I may run amok and buy both of them at once--I would really like to have that bedroom project checked off the list, you know?

Freelance

Gidget emailed me on Friday saying she had a new client she needed a campaign for. I got it up and ready to go yesterday morning. She's such a pleasure to work with. She gave me the budget, the area to target, and the market. That's all the "help" she offered. 3-1/2 hours, that's all it took.

It took me less time to conceive of and create this campaign--in an industry unfamiliar to me--from scratch than it did to write the email for Bernie's Funhouse client a week ago, justifying the campaign edits I made that actually brought about two leads for them.

Other than that, I did virtually no freelance work this weekend--I glanced at things a couple of times, then moved on with my life. I'm just so over Bernie's boys. (They're all unreasonable because the two campaigns have been live for a month and they haven't sold any of their half-million dollar s/w yet--they want to know what they got for their money.)

I still want to fire him. I'm going to tell him I've given up the idea of going freelance full time. I think that's the only way I'll be able to go away.

Weekending

So, what did I do this weekend? Well, I had fun!

Saturday, a bit of shopping. Target (to exchange the bin lids for the right size), the bed & bath store (duvet cover), drugstore (make-up), and Chinese food for lunch. Doesn't sound that exciting, I guess, but it was hot outside and the stores were well air-conditioned. On a hot summer day, that's pretty much enough to keep me satisfied.

I bought some "privacy film" which is technically in violation of the apartment's rules but I put it on my bedroom window anyhow. I really like the light I get with the blinds up, but there's another building right outside my window and I don't like feeling like a goldfish in a bowl.

Sunday, the R.C. and I took the light rail downtown and strolled up the 16th St Mall to the museum. The weather was perfect--just enough cloud cover to make walking outdoors a complete delight. We loitered through the Tutankhamen exhibit (fascinating) which was not as crowded as I feared but was still too busy for me to really stop and stare to the extent I wanted. Then we saw an all-too brief 3D movie abut the building of the ancient temples. We weren't too good to stop by the children's educational center, either, because that's where the x-ray movie/display of Tut's mummy was being shown, with an explanation of what science's examination of the remains has told them so far.

After that, we strolled back to the Mall for lunch (a wicked indulgence in the caloric offerings of Johnny Rockets), and visited a bookstore where, I'm proud to report, I bought nothing. (I didn't fail to find things I wanted. I just reminded myself that I'm no longer allowed to buy new books if I already have a single, unread book in my "new" pile.) (Also? No new books until I buy new bookshelves.)

Then home--and just in the nick of time as the looming clouds condensed into a thunderstorm, the first in a line of storms that rumbled and banged overhead for the rest of the day.

We watched a movie. Giant snails!

Yesterday, I did the freelance work and then took advantage of my room being almost-but-not-quite the way I'm trying to get it by puttering around for most of the day. I knitted, read, watched DVDs, listened to some of my mythology course, did a bit of laundry and some cleaning. It's an aimless sort of process that I refer to as, "being happy." I spent yesterday mostly being happy. (Yes, some eating was involved.)

Hope your weekend was happy as well!